


five times Caline Bustier tried to find love (and one time she did)

by Missnoodles



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: 5+1 Things, Caline Bustier/Ms. Mendeleiev (implied), F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Growing Up, Platonic Relationships, Self Confidence Issues, TV Special: Miraculous World: New York
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:01:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28052841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missnoodles/pseuds/Missnoodles
Summary: Ever since she was a little girl, Caline Bustier had been enamored with the idea of romance and happy endings.But sometimes life takes you in a different direction, and that's not always a bad thing.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Caline Bustier, Caline Bustier & Ms. Mendeleiev, Caline Bustier/Original Character(s)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 34





	five times Caline Bustier tried to find love (and one time she did)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [theriveroflight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theriveroflight/gifts), [EnigmaticEllipsis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnigmaticEllipsis/gifts).



> This odd little fic was born out of a conversation about Mlle Bustier's pregnancy in the NY special on theMiraculous Fanworks discord server. Thanks to everyone who expressed interest in a fic about a teacher and a bunch of OC love interests!
> 
> Thank you so much to [Rikkapikasnikka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rikkapikasnikka/works) for betaing and for everything else too. I would never have started writing without you <3 <3 <3

Caline Bustier had never been lucky when it came to love. Not in the ways it mattered. Sure, she’d had her fair share of admirers, and even a handful of moderately successful long-term relationships, but part of her had always known, deep down, that she’d end up where she was now: living alone eating microwaved meals for one and becoming overly invested in the lives of her students.

In many ways, Caline’s life was pretty good. She had a job she loved, supportive friends, and a loving family, even if she didn’t see them as much as her mother would’ve liked. Honestly, she shouldn’t complain about the insignificant lack of a significant other.

But Caline had always been a romantic at heart.

**1\. The Childhood Friend**

When Caline was young, romance looked like playing in the sandbox, eating homemade sandwiches at the kitchen counter, and fighting over who got to play with the Majestia doll and who was stuck with The Owl.

Simon was her best friend. They’d been best friends since the day they met, when Caline was approximately 15 days old and Simon was a squalling, red-faced newborn. Well, that’s what Caline’s mother told her, anyway. Caline couldn’t remember any time before being Simon’s best friend, so Caline decided to believe her mother.

Caline also decided that when she grew up, she’d marry Simon and they would have ten children, a decision she shared often and proudly with anyone who would listen. Her grandparents and aunts would chuckle fondly and shake their heads, but Caline was undeterred. 

Caline didn’t think ten kids was too much. She thought it sounded fun. 

(Caline later realized that ten kids was only fun when you were _not_ their primary caregiver, which was why she loved her job.)

In the end, of course, it didn’t matter whether her and Simon would have had two children or ten. Simon and Caline weren’t meant to be. When Caline was four years old, her parents moved to Paris and she had to leave Simon behind. They tried to keep in touch, of course, but all Simon wanted to talk about was football, and Caline couldn’t bring herself to be interested.

Eventually, they drifted apart.

Caline couldn’t remember any time before being Simon’s best friend, but she could remember plenty of time after.

**2\. Crushed**

In primaire, Caline met Joseph Laurent. Joseph had smooth, tanned skin, deep brown eyes, and absolutely no interest in Caline’s existence. 

Caline was certainly interested in his existence, however.

It started like this: Caline’s mother gave her a 2-franc coin on a sunny Tuesday morning in April for Caline to buy ice cream at lunch. Caline walked to school, bright-eyed and excited to share ice cream with her best friend, Marguerite, only to promptly lose her coin sometime between arriving at school and being dismissed for lunch.

Caline wasn’t _too_ broken up about this — it had only been 2-franc, after all, and Caline knew if she asked her mother, she’d have another shiny coin weighing down her pocket the next day. Still, she was disappointed.

Then, that afternoon, Caline’s teacher told the class someone had found a 2-franc coin and turned it in. Caline knew instantly it was her coin. She got up to claim the coin from Mme Perkins, only for her teacher to reveal the identity of her knight in shining nickel: _Joseph_.

Caline turned to thank her savior, only for her heart to jump into her throat at the sight of his sparkling white smile. She’d never felt like this before.

Caline’s first crush lasted for 2 weeks, 3 days, and 1 hour. During that time she indulged in several fantasies, most of which involved eating ice cream together, and a few of which involved running away to Normandy and becoming professional treasure hunters.

Admittedly, Caline’s grasp on what was actually involved in romantic relationships was still a bit tenuous at age six, but at least she no longer intended to have ten children.

And it ended like this: Caline was waiting with Marguerite under the trees in front of the classroom on a rainy Friday afternoon. Caline usually walked home, but since it was raining, she was waiting with the rest of her class for their parents to pick them up.

Marguerite was picked up first, so Caline walked from the tree they’d been playing under to join another group of classmates under the neighboring tree. Joseph was among them, lounging atop one of the thick, low hanging branches, like a king holding court. One of the kids sitting on the grass seemed to be asking Joseph a question, but Caline couldn’t quite make out the words.

Joseph’s laughter rang out as she approached, and for the first time in two weeks, something in his smile made Caline feel uneasy.

And then he spoke.

“Caline? She’s so strange. Why would anyone want to be friends with her?”

Caline didn’t say a word to her mother the entire drive home.

**3\. High School Sweetheart**

In 3ème, Caline met Milo. He’d just moved to Paris, and Caline had been brave enough to introduce herself on his first day of class. They were instant friends. Milo was sweet, with a round face and freckles, and Caline’s friend Tiffanie had a crush on him.

Milo, apparently, had a crush on Caline, according to Marguerite.

“He has a picture of you in his locker, you know,” Marguerite gushed, wiggling her eyebrows at Caline over lunch. “ _And_ a second one in his pencil bag.”

“Wait, really?” Caline wasn’t sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, she’d never really been… attracted to Milo. And she knew how Tiffanie felt about him. On the other, the idea of a boy carrying around her picture made her insides feel soft and gooey.

“Yep!” Marguerite answered with a definitive nod. “And you know what he said when I asked him about it?”

“You _asked_ him about it?” Caline felt embarrassed for Milo now.

“He said, and I quote, ‘I think she’s beautiful, but that’s just the icing on the cake. She’s so much more than that.’ Isn’t that so sweet?!”

Caline felt her cheeks heating up. It was sweet. _Milo_ was sweet. And Caline couldn’t help but be flattered that a boy said those things about her.

Slowly, she started to let herself see Milo in a different light. Sure, he wore the same awful sweatpants everyday, and his hands always smelled like sour cream and onion chips, but he was kind and funny and he _liked_ her. 

Or so he said.

Milo finally asked her to be his girlfriend in their first year of lycée. By then, Tiffanie had clearly moved on, and the tiny warmth in Caline’s stomach had started to grow into some approximation of infatuation.

She said yes.

In many ways, Milo had been a great first boyfriend. In French class, he doodled her little pictures on post-it notes and slipped them under the desk for her to read. At lunch, they’d walk to the courtyard where they ate together holding hands, and Caline did her best to avoid holding his hand on the way back to class after he’d eaten chips. In the afternoons, they’d talk on the phone until one of their parents needed to make a phone call (Caline was ever so grateful when she finally got a cell phone). 

There was, however, one massive flaw in her relationship with Milo: He absolutely refused to kiss her. At first, Caline wasn’t too concerned. Milo would be her first kiss, after all, and she was happy to wait until the time was right.

So she waited. And waited. And _waited._

Eventually, Caline decided it was time to take matters into her own hands. It was the twentieth century, after all, and Caline was a strong, independent, almost-woman who could definitely make the first move.

By fourteen, Caline’s sense of romance had taken a definitive shape, and she knew what she wanted. 

For her fifteenth birthday, Caline had a picnic tea party. She wore a teal sundress and a tiara and just a hint of strawberry lip gloss. She invited a handful of friends, including Milo, but she only told Marguerite about her plan. 

After Caline finished her meal, Marguerite casually mentioned she was going to have a mint to freshen her breath, and she offered them to the group. Caline took one. Milo didn’t.

Caline tried not to let that bother her — she was going to get her first kiss today, and she wasn’t going to be stopped by less than perfectly fresh breath. It’s not like she was planning to use _tongue_ , after all. Gross.

So she led Milo away from the group, over to an old tree close to the lake. They sat down on a thick, leaning branch, centimeters apart from each other.

Nervously, Caline tried to make conversation. Later, she wouldn’t be able to recall any of the things they said, except for her final question.

“Will you kiss me?” Caline’s heart thumped painfully in her chest as she waited for his answer.

Milo glanced away. “I’m sorry, I’m just… not ready.”

 _Not ready?_ How could he not be ready? They’d been together for six months. They were fifteen. How could he not be ready? Was Caline not pretty enough? Did he not like the picnic?

Milo didn’t give her an explanation until a year after she broke up with him. They’d remained friends, and so she hadn’t hesitated to answer when he’d called her cell phone.

“Hey, Caline,” Milo said softly. “There’s something I need to tell you. I’ve never told anyone this before, and please don’t tell anyone, but… I’m gay.”

“I know,” Caline replied. “I won’t tell.”

**4\. First Love**

Caline was eighteen years old the first time she fell in love, and she never saw it coming. She’d met Jean in art class, but they’d never talked much during the school year. Jean was two years below her, and they didn’t have much in common besides the fact that Jean’s friend Théodore had a crush on Tiffanie. Théodore was constantly dragging Jean and another boy over to their desks just so he could flirt with Tiffanie.

At the end of the year, Théodore invited them over for an end-of-the-year celebration. Not all of them were close friends, so they played some games to break the ice, like truth or dare. Jean dared Caline to kiss one of the three boys, and so Caline kissed Jean.

(Jean wasn’t her first kiss — Caline would never have agreed to that. But Jean was the first for everything else.)

Caline had always thought Jean was cute, but she never expected a boy like him to be interested in a girl like her. After all, he was _gorgeous_ , with golden blond curls, delicate features, and a fit, toned body, and she was just… Caline, the weird girl. 

Despite her expectations, though, Jean _was_ interested in her. He was crazy about her, and Caline couldn’t help but fall for him. Jean was funny and easy-going and she loved herself when she was with him.

Not to mention, Jean was a fantastic kisser.

She hadn’t planned to leave for university with a boyfriend still in high school, but Caline couldn’t bear the thought of ending their relationship early. She was happy with Jean.

Long distance wouldn’t be so bad, would it?

For two years, Caline texted Jean everyday. At night, they’d call each other and stay up talking on the phone so late that their words stopped making sense, just to hear each other's voices. When Caline went home to visit, they spent as much time together as possible.

No, long distance wasn’t so bad.

Coming back together was.

In the end, she should’ve seen it coming. People grow up in college, and people grow apart. Jean wasn’t ready to settle down. Neither was Caline, really.

Jean was the first boy she loved, but she’d always known he wasn’t meant to be with her forever.

It still hurt when he left.

**5\. Mr. Almost Right**

Jean wasn’t the only guy Caline dated knowing the relationship had an expiration date. In fact, Victor was the first guy she _didn’t_ assume was temporary.

When they met, Caline was twenty-six and had just started working at Collège Françoise Dupont. Victor was a friend of a friend, and they’d hung out at group events a few times until one night, they were the last two people at his apartment.

Victor invited her to watch a show, and they’d cuddled. Cuddling turned into kissing and kissing turned into breakfast the next day and breakfast turned into dinner and a movie on Friday night.

She and Victor got along effortlessly. They rarely fought. Victor was stable, with a house and a successful career and a promising future. Caline was new at her job but optimistic and ready to think about settling down.

She knew who she was and what she wanted and she didn’t need to keep looking.

Things with Victor were fine, totally fine, and there was no reason to be unsatisfied.

No reason to want more.

Caline was an adult, and she could let go of childish fantasies of romance and passion. She didn’t need passion; what she had with Victor was fine.

Caline was happy. She thought Victor was happy.

And deep down, she’d given up on the idea that anyone would ever feel that kind of passion for her, so why should Caline care that Victor didn’t?

Of course, just because Caline had accepted that her relationship with Victor was as much as she could ever hope for, didn’t mean everyone around her did.

Demetria, in particular, wasn’t a fan of Victor at all. Of course, Demetria wasn’t really a fan of anyone.

Demetria taught science at Collège Françoise Dupont. She was awkward, and surly, and seemed to care more about science than people. Caline wasn’t sure how they’d become friends, but they were.

“I see you’re still dating _that man_ ,” Demetria would say to Caline in the break room, peering through horn-rimmed glasses as she slowly stirred cream into her coffee. The way Demetria said it made “that man” sound like a scathing insult. “Why are you wasting your time?”

“Victor’s great,” Caline would say after swallowing a sip of her own unsweetened brew. “What’s wrong with him?”

“Nothing, I guess,” Demetria would reply. “I need to go prepare today’s lab.”

Caline wanted to know what Demetria meant, but at the same time, she was scared to ask.

Part of Caline was scared Demetria was right, and she didn’t want to face that.

If she couldn’t make things work with Victor, would she ever find love at all?

Victor was the first person Caline said “I love you” to before they said it first. He said it back, of course.

Caline believed she meant it. She believed he meant it.

She wasn’t sure if either was ever really true.

In the end, fine wasn’t enough for Victor.

“I don’t know if I ever really loved you. It never felt right,” he’d said over the phone the day after breaking her heart as she held her cell phone inches away from her face, trying not to wet the screen with tears.

Losing Victor hurt.

Losing hope hurt even more.

**1\. 15 Children, 2 Friends, and a Hug**

They say that time heals all wounds, and in Caline’s experience, that was true.

But every time her heart was broken, Caline had to put it back together, and she came together slightly different each time.

Caline didn’t mind, not really. A person can’t grow without change. Every trial, every heartbreak, every missed happy ending, helped her become the person she was today.

And heartbreak didn’t mean Caline was alone.

When Caline was twenty-nine, Milo asked if she’d meet him over coffee to discuss something important. They’d kept in touch through the years — even though romance wasn’t in the cards for them, Caline had been the first person Milo had come out too, and when she was eighteen, she’d reciprocated by confessing to Milo that she suspected she might be bisexual. They had a bond she would never share with anyone else.

Apparently Milo felt the same.

“Have you ever thought about having kids?” he’d asked after they’d run through the standard small talk, picking at the cardboard insulator wrapped around his cup with his fingertips.

“Sure, I’ve thought about it,” Caline admitted, unsure why he wanted to know. “But right now, my students are my kids. I don’t think I’d be able to handle single motherhood.”

“Oh. Okay. That’s — okay.” Milo set his cup down on the low table between them and placed his hands on his knees. “There’s something I want to — _we_ want to — Thomas and I — you remember Thomas, right? My husband?”

Caline nodded.

“We want to have kids. His sister agreed to help, and we’d set everything up, but… it turns out, she can’t carry a baby to term. I know we could adopt, but…” Milo trailed off, looking down at his hands. His fingers dug tightly into his pants and his knuckles were white.

“But you want it to be yours,” Caline finished for him.

When he looked back up and met her eyes, he was biting his lip. 

“I know I have no right to ask this,” he started. “But will you help us?”

And so she did.

Milo and Thomas tried to be there every step of the way. They showed up for every doctor’s appointment and invited her over for dinner multiple times a week. She’d always be sent home with armfuls of leftovers and things they’d impulse bought because someone had mentioned it was helpful for pregnant women, like foam shoe inserts or strange-smelling herbal teas.

But they couldn’t be there for everything, no matter how much they wanted to be.

“You can’t cancel the trip to New York!” Caline shouldn’t have shouted at her boss, but she couldn’t help but get worked up on behalf of her students. “The class has been planning for weeks. They’d be heartbroken!”

“Yes, well...” M Damocles looked distinctly uncomfortable. “That was before I was aware of your… condition.”

Across the room, Demetria snorted.

“Do you have something to say, Mme Mendeleiev?” M. Damocles said sharply, his chest puffing up like a rooster as he turned to look at the other teacher.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Demetria replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Since apparently I am the only individual in this establishment with any basic respect for science. She’s pregnant, Damocles, not dying. Pregnant women can travel just fine.”

M Damocles’ chest collapsed like a balloon that had sprung a leak. 

“Be that as it may,” he said, his voice less sure now. “The school cannot afford the added liability. I have no choice but to cancel the trip.”

Caline’s eyes felt suddenly wet. 

_Don’t think about how many hours the children spent making their sock puppet video. Don’t think about the way Alya Cesaire rambles about the legends of the city, or the way Chloé Bourgeois pretends to be nonchalant as she namedrops famous landmarks hoping to gain your recognition, or the 10-page itinerary proposal Marinette Dupain-Cheng had lovingly written out on soft pink stationary and turned in for you to review._

_Don’t think about the excited conversations you’ve overheard or the doodles you’ve seen in the edges of their notebooks. Don’t cry in front of your boss._

“That’s absurd,” Demetria’s acerbic voice cut straight through Caline’s thoughts. “But if your hands are really tied, I’ll do it.”

“Do it?” M Damocles questioned.

“Yes,” Demetria nodded, walking over to where he and Caline stood. “I’ll go to New York. I’ll supervise Mlle Bustier’s students. Do we have a deal?”

M Damocles huffed but nodded. “Assuming Mlle Bustier is comfortable with taking over your classes in your absence, that is acceptable.”

“Yes!” Caline blurted out, her voice echoing loudly in her own ears. “Yes, I am. I’m comfortable. Definitely comfortable. Super! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Of course,” M Damocles said, a solemn expression washing over his round face. “Serving justice is all in a day’s work for The Owl! Hoo-hoo!”

It took every ounce of self-control Caline had not to burst out into laughter as her boss dramatically twirled away and swiftly excited the room while holding one fist aloft in front of him.

And given that incredible show of willpower, Caline couldn’t be blamed for what she did next.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she babbled again, throwing her arms around Demetria and wrapping her into a tight hug, only to immediately regret it when Demetria’s naturally rigid posture stiffened even more than usual.

Caline started to lower her arms, preparing to withdraw, when Demetria did something completely unexpected.

She hugged Caline back.

“Don’t mention it,” Demetria’s voice sounded softer than usual as it floated into Caline’s ear, sending a flutter through her chest that she steadfastly refused to think about.

Caline was _not_ going to think about how nice her co-worker's hair smelled or the fact that Demetria’s embrace was infinitely warmer than she’d ever expected. Caline was going to be grateful for the help and she was _not_ going to make it weird.

Definitely not.

Luckily, Caline could always count on her students to be there when she needed.

“Excuse me, Mlle Bustier?” Adrien Agreste’s polite tenor interrupted her wayward thoughts. 

“Adrien!” Her voice was too loud again. She quickly dropped her arms and stepped away from Demetria, nervously straightening out her blouse. 

Adrien smiled patiently as he waited. He was really such a sweet boy.

“I’ll see you later, Caline,” Demetria said, her voice still uncharacteristically soft, before sauntering off in the same direction that M Damocles had sprinted earlier.

“What can I do for you, Adrien?” Caline said, dragging her eyes away from the retreating form of her coworker to focus on her student.

“Oh, well, it’s actually about the New York trip,” he replied, scratching the back of his neck. “I’ve never been on a field trip before so I had some questions. Well, mostly one question, if it’s not too much of a bother.”

Caline cared about all her students. She didn’t believe in favorites. She cared just as much about Lila Rossi, who never showed up to class or turned in assignments on time, as she did about Max Kante, who was several units ahead in every subject.

And yet, she couldn’t help but leave a little extra room in her heart for the students like Adrien Agreste or Chloé Bourgeois.

“You’re never a bother, Adrien,” she responded.

Truly, he wasn’t. Sure, there’d been some added stress in the classroom as a result of having a popular teen model sitting in the front row, but that had never been Adrien’s fault.

“I was just wondering about the paper you gave us yesterday. The permission slip.” Adrien ducked his head down and looked up at her through a layer of blond fringe, a move Caline recognized as an attempt to look sympathetic. “Is it… required?”

The part of her heart she’d carved out for him broke at the tone of his voice. It broke even more knowing that she wouldn’t be able to give him the answer he clearly wanted.

“I’m so sorry, Adrien, but yes, it’s required.”

Caline cared deeply about all of her students. But some of her students needed her love more than others. Adrien Agreste was one of them.

Caline was okay with that. She had plenty of love to give.

And maybe she hadn’t grown up expecting to find love in the midst of a classroom of misfit students, or from the unexpected tenderness of a standoffish co-worker, or the overwhelming gratitude of a dear friend and his husband.

But she’d found love, all the same.

“That’s okay, Mlle Bustier,” Adrien said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Caline wished she could hug him too, but she wasn’t sure if she could initiate one.

And she knew, unfortunately, that Adrien never would. And that his permission slip wouldn’t get signed with anything less than Ladybug herself marching up to Gabriel Agreste and demanding Adrien be allowed to join his friends.

Caline would be extra sure to keep an eye on him while his friends were in New York.

“I wish there was more I could do, Adrien. I know how important this trip is to all of you.” Caline hoped he couldn’t tell how emotional she was getting. She never knew with Adrien — he could be astonishingly perceptive at times and completely socially inept at others.

“Thanks, Mlle Bustier.” Adrien flashed another subdued smile. “I’m just happy all my friends still get to go. That was really nice of Mme Mendeleiev.”

Caline hummed. “It was, wasn’t it?”

“She must be a really good friend!”

_Oh._

Oh, shit.

Adrien really was astonishingly perceptive sometimes.

Maybe it wasn’t quite time to give up on romance, just yet.

In the meantime, Caline was surrounded by love. And Adrien deserved to be as well.

“Adrien, would you like a hug?”


End file.
